China Arrests Dozens of Underground Church Pastors In Religious Crackdown

Authorities in China have detained several pastors linked to one of the country’s largest unregistered Christian congregations, marking the most extensive suppression of underground churches since 2018, according to family members and church representatives.

The arrests occurred over the weekend, coinciding with heightened China–U.S. tensions following Beijing’s recent decision to expand controls on rare earth exports. The detentions have sparked international outrage, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the immediate release of the pastors.

Among those taken into custody was Pastor Jin Mingri, the 56-year-old founder of Zion Church, a prominent unofficial “house church” not recognised by the state. He was arrested at his residence in Beihai, a city in southern China, on Friday evening, according to his daughter, Grace Jin, and a church spokesperson, Sean Long.
“What just happened is part of a new wave of religious persecution this year,” Long said, noting that security forces had questioned over 150 church members in recent months and increased surveillance at Sunday gatherings.

Speaking from the United States, Long said that around the same period, nearly 30 church leaders and members were detained nationwide, though five have since been released. Roughly 20 others remain in custody.

Jin is currently being held at the Beihai City No. 2 Detention Centre on charges of “illegal use of information networks,” according to an official notice shared by Long. The offence carries a possible prison sentence of up to seven years. Supporters fear the pastors could face additional accusations related to sharing religious content online.
“He’s been hospitalised in the past for diabetes. We’re worried since he requires medication,” Grace Jin said. “I’ve also been notified that lawyers are not allowed to meet the pastors, so that is very concerning to us.”

The arrests come in the wake of new regulations from China’s national religious affairs authority that prohibit unauthorised online preaching and “foreign collusion.” Last month, President Xi Jinping pledged to “implement strict law enforcement” and further advance the “Sinicisation” of religion — the process of aligning faith practices with Communist Party ideology.

Official statistics indicate that China has over 44 million Christians worshipping in state-approved churches, most of whom are Protestants. However, estimates suggest that tens of millions more attend unregistered “house churches” operating independently of state control.

Zion Church, which reportedly has about 5,000 regular followers spread across nearly 50 cities, expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic through online sermons and small group worship, Long explained. Founded by Jin — who is also known by his Christian name, Ezra — in 2007 after leaving an official Protestant church, the congregation has long been under scrutiny.

A graduate of Peking University, Jin embraced Christianity following the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Authorities closed Zion Church’s main building in Beijing in 2018 during a wave of raids on major underground congregations. Earlier this year, 11 of its pastors were also briefly detained.

According to Grace Jin, her father has faced travel restrictions since 2018, preventing him from visiting his wife and three children, who now live in the United States. “I think he had always known that there was a possibility he would be imprisoned,” she said.

Last month, police intercepted and forcibly returned Jin to Beihai while he was in Shanghai, according to Grace Jin and Bob Fu, founder of the Christian advocacy group ChinaAid.
“The key underlying reason is that Zion Church has grown explosively into a well-organised network in recent years, which of course must scare the Communist Party leadership,” Fu stated.